Brian Mitchell and Wanda Barzee charged in Elizabeth Smart abduction...

The hole in the ground, and the boards. Hmm. Let's try this? Have you ever seen one of those houses that has a square hole leading to the attic? Not a pull-down door, but just a fairly large square, which is just a little bit recessed?

I've never used one of those attic entrances, but the way I understand they work is: When you want to enter the attic, you need a ladder or chair. You get up there, then you push on the square. It pops out of its hole, and holding it balanced on your hands, you move it to one side and set it down--on the floor of the attic. Then you climb through the hole.

Now, when you get back out of the attic, you reach in and grab the edge of the square. You have to balance it on your hands again, or slide it sideways onto the hole. It falls into place.

Suppose Mitchell had sort of sliced off a layer of earth which had grass and moss growing on it, and placed this layer on top of the boards? The grass, etc., would continue to grow a little, b/c it would have been transferred complete with its roots, which would be still in the dirt. If the dirt were a little damp, it would adhere to the top of the boards. Suppose Mitchell and company got in the hole, then Mitchell reached up and took the boards (which would actually be several boards nailed together) onto his open hands, and slid them back onto the top of the hole?

Anse, of course, your theory would work if they had said grass and moss, but they didn't. Reports said dirt. That's why I'm wanting to see pics of the hole and boards and dirt, as well as the surrounding area. Someone (maybe Utah Girl or ScaredKat) said that SLCPD is not letting anyone (including reporters, I take it) go there and get pics. They're still "collecting evidence". Not to be facetious here, but I'm looking for 95 to 100 items any day now. Just what did they have in that hole?

Well--if he'd been smart, he'd have sliced up some turf and put it on top of the boards.

Okay, so the dirt was on top of the boards--just damp enough so that most of it would adhere?

My doubts about this are pretty much gone, Sandy. He apparently went into her house and kidnapped her. And he hid in plain sight most of the time, and was able to do so b/c everyone in that area was just too much of a fool to think, "Hey--maybe some psycho took her. Hey--there's a psycho. Let's bring those psychos in for questioning, one by one."

I would believe that her family knew something, but for one thing: I just don't believe they'd have let her stay out there with HIM for even one hour, if they'd have known where to find her. However, they had some vague hunch of something--b/c they felt so sure she was alive somewhere.

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